Story about Publix dropping Ben & Jerry’s products originated on satire site

Ice cream purveyor Ben & Jerry’s has long been vocal about its activism and progressive values, seeking to "eliminate injustices in our local, national and international communities."

But that mission has not provoked a grocery store chain to drop the company’s wares. Some bloggers are claiming otherwise.

"Publix drops Ben and Jerry’s ‘for the good of our kids,’" reads a June 4 headline on a blog simply titled "News Article."

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Maria Brous, a Publix spokesperson, told PolitiFact the story is false. 

"Our stores carry Ben & Jerry’s ice cream," Brous said.

There’s a big clue in the story that it’s not authentic news. The post says, "Publix CEO Joe Barron released a memo stating that the company, which is employee-owned and very family oriented, will no longer carry Ben & Jerry’s ice cream products." 

Publix’s CEO is Todd Jones, not Joe Barron. 

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We found no press releases on Publix’s website announcing that it has dropped Ben & Jerry’s products.

And searching for Ben & Jerry’s products in Publix locations around the country, we found some favorite flavors on store shelves. Pints of Half Baked, for example, are on aisle 9 in a Publix in Tampa, Florida. 

Searching for other coverage of this alleged news, we found the exact same story published on The Dunning-Kruger Times, a self-described satire website. 

We rate claims that Publix has dropped Ben & Jerry’s products False.